Author to sign books Monday in Aberdeen

Northern grad recounts Vietnam experience

Northern grad recounts Vietnam experience

September 16, 2007|From staff reports

David Volk, a former state treasurer and state secretary of commerce, will appear at a book signing from noon to 2 p.m. Monday at the Northern State University Williams Library. Volk, a Mitchell native, graduated from Northern with a teaching degree in 1969. A newlywed, he was preparing for his first job teaching high school history when the call to service came. Within weeks, he found himself in the Army and later Vietnam. That experience is the subject of his book, “Draftee: A High School Teacher Goes to War.” “Told with biting humor, Volk paints an altogether original and incredibly vivid account of Army life and the Vietnam experience as seen through the eyes of a draftee from a small Midwest town,” according to a press release. “As the author reminisces, he also tries to reconcile his pride in serving his country with the appalling waste caused by a war that shook the foundations of our democracy.” “Draftee” is also described as a “tender, at times sardonic, autobiography.” While attending Northern, Volk went to work as a field representative for U.S. Rep. Ben Reifel. He held that job until he was drafted. Volk served two years, one of them in Vietnam as a combat photographer with the 101st Airborne Division. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal and Bronze Star. He was later elected state treasurer of South Dakota, the youngest person in the state's history to be elected to a statewide office. He was re-elected four times. He was appointed by the Reagan Administration as chairman of the Vietnam Veterans Volunteer Program. The book signing will be held in the round room of the Williams Library. The 134-page book was published in March by BookSurge Publishing. BookSurge, an Amazon.com company, is described as “a pioneer in self-publishing and print-on-demand services.” Volk, who lives in Sioux Falls, has also written a book called “Mystery of the Round Rocks.”